Spill-proof receptacle



0d. 16, 1934. c BERRY 1,976,765 I SPILLPROOF' RECEPTACLE Filed Aug. 20, 1952 Patented Get. 16, 1934 Fries rsr 1,97 ,765. SPILL-PROOF ancErrAcLE Herbert C. Berry, Chicago, Ill. Application August 20, 1932,-Serial No. 629,616

1 Claim. (011190-19) Y My invention pertains to improvements and betterment features in boxes, receptacles, containers, and the like, suchas metal boxes for. tools, fish F ing tackle, and similar equipment.

One leading purpose and prime aim of the invention is to provide such a box with safety means which will prevent the box cover from opening when the container is on the cover.

If the box were to open under such conditions, its contents would very likely be spilled out, particularly if the" box were fitted with a top shelf or tray containing various loose articles. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the box at its top portion is supplied with atray suitably slidable to afford access to the. interior of the lower part of the box, and, when such tray isinregisterwith' the box, it is, pre

vented from rising by means of appropriate ribs 39 or flanges .overlying its end portions.

The box has a hinged cover and a suitable lock to lock the cover in closed position, whereby the contents of such receptacle may be made safe against pilfering.

A rockable handle for the appliance is mounted on the cover, and in order to prevent the cover from swinging upwardly into open position when it is unlocked and when the box is lifted by the handle, the latter is fitted with a locking hook which extends through an aperture of a partition wall in the tray.

When, however, the handle is swung back into inoperative or non-lifting position, its hook becomes disengaged or freed from the tray partion aperture, thus unlocking the cover from the tray and permitting the former to be readily opened.

In order that those skilled in this art may fully understand the invention and its several advan-.

tages, both from structural and functional standpoints, such desirable embodiment of the invention has been fully illustrated in the accompanying drawing throughout the several views of which like reference numerals have been em- 5 ployed to designate the same parts.

In this drawing:-

Figure 1 is a plan view of the box with the cover fully open;

Figure 2 is a substantially-central, vertical cross-section through the box in the closed position of the cover, the handle, being in lifting position and the cover being locked in closed relation by the hook of the handle;

it Figure 3 is a vertical cross-section on line 3-3 lifted by a handle mounted mately the center of the box of Figure 1, the tray bein shown in dotted lines pushed somewhat rearwardly; j

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the combined handle and hook; and

Figure 5 is perspective viewof the ribbed plate Jhich secures the handle and hook on the cover.

Referring to this drawing, it will be observed that the rectangular, sheet-metal box or receptacle has a bottom 11, and front, rear and end walls l2, l3, and 14, 14:, respectively, the box havinga flanged cover 15 hinged thereto at 16, 16.

The topportion of the box is occupied by a'tray 17 divided into several compartments or chair1'-" here by the upstanding cross-walls 18, 19 and a" bent, lengthwise'wall 21, the latter atapproxi- 79 having an aperture 22 therethrough. i

Such tray is slidable rearw ardly and forwardly of the'box, being supported at its opposite ends on angle-bar tracks 23 mounted on the inner faces of the box end-wallsand'the tops of the ends of the tray are located beneath guide and retaining flanges 24, 24 of the end walls which obviously preclude ascent 'of the tray.

At its center the cover has a depressed section 25 having an aperture 26 and a hollow ribbed plate 27 welded or otherwise secured to its top surface, such plate having an open-ended, hollow rib 28 arranged lengthwise the cover and a shorter hollow rib 29 at right angles thereto, communicating therewith, and having an outer, closed end 31.

A round rod is bent to form a rectangular handle 32 terminating intermediate the length of the handle in an outstanding hook 33.

The hook-equipped length of the handle is rockingly accommodated in the hollow rib 28, and when the handle is swung down flat against the plate 25, a portion of the hook is received in the hollow interior of rib 29, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2.

As is clearly illustrated, the box and cover are supplied with a key-operated lock 34, 35 of any ordinary or usual kind, and, obviously, when the cover is locked by such means in closed relation to the body of the box, the latter may be lifted and carried without danger of the cover opening with possible spilling out of the contents of the box.

When the cover lock is unlocked and the handle is in upright position for lifting or carrying the box, as illustrated in Figure 2, such handle and cover are locked to the tray by the hook 33 occupying the hole 22, and since the tray cannot ascend or rise by reason of the presence of the retaining flanges 24, 24, the cover will not swing open and there is no likelihood of the boxs contents falling out unintentionally.

When, however, the handle is swung down into inoperative position, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2, the hook leaves the tray partition hole and the cover is free to be swung open on its hinges.

If the box cover when open is rocked backinto closed position without taking hold of the handle, the hook due to the overbalancing action of the main body of the handle will escape the partition aperture during the closing action and. the handle will ultimately lie flat against the' cover in its closed position with the hook in a correspondingly inoperative relation with respect to the apertured partition.

From the foregoing, it will be seenthat I have provided a simple lock readily manipulated by the carrying handle which affords protection against the spilling out of the contents of the box without interfering with the opening of the cover when it is desired to have access to the tools or other equipment inthe box.

It may be noted also that the portion of hook 33 which is designed to extend through the aperture of the partition wall of the tray is not concentric with the axis about which it turns, its free end being at a greater distance from such axis than its otheror inner end.

In other words, such part of the hook is eccentric to such axis and it acts as a cam to draw the cover and tray firmly together as the hook enters the hole and the handle is brought to up. 'right position. Thus when the cover is fully 40v contentsof the tray out of the box.

Those acquainted with this art will readily understand that the invention, as presented in the appended claim, is not necessarily limited and restricted to all of the precise details shown and described and that various modifications may be resorted to without departure from the heart and essence of the invention and without the loss or sacrifice of any of its material benefits or advantages.

I claim: y

In a structure of the character described, the combination of a box, a cover for said box hinged thereto, a tray, means movably mounting said tray in the upper portion of said box but preventing ascent of the tray in the box when it is in registerwith the box and when the cover is in closed position, an apertured partition-wall in said tray, a handle rockingly mounted on said cover and adapted to be swung on its axis into box-lifting operative position or into a non-boxlifting inoperative position, and a hook rigid with, actuated by, and at a right-angle to the plane of, said handle, said hook when the handle is swung to said operative position and when the cover is in closed position being adapted to lock said cover to said tray by extending through said aperture, said hook comprising a body portion and a terminal portion designed to enter said aperture, said terminal portion being at less than a rightangle to said body portion, the axis of said handle about which it may be swung being positioned to permit the outer part of said terminal portion to enter said aperture by the turning of the handle withoutcontact with the walls of said aperture, the inner part of said terminal portion engaging the upper wall of said aperture when the HERBERT C. BERRY. 

